Monday, December 1, 2008

Back Home

Just a short note...I'm back home. (Didn't notice I was gone, eh?) Well, nonetheless, I'm back. I don't know how the scales at this house show no change in my excessive weight, but, it's the same as when I left. Mysteries abound, it seems.

I've been to the bat cave and survived--more on that later!

I've cleaned enough to last me forever. Except that I have ten tons of laundry here at home I'm trying to catch up on, and oh, yeah. I've not been home for over a week, so guess who has a lot of cleaning to catch up on here! Not to mention, that I well, sort of signed up to clean the Church this week, too. It's not small. Maybe that'll be on tomorrow's list.

I have my last Institute Class to teach for this semester this coming Thursday. My students get to report on how their lives have changed since the beginning of the Semester after studying the Four Gospels for the last four months. I am so looking forward to this Thursday.

Friday, following, I'll be taking my youngest daughter to the airport. She and her beloved have decided to elope. So, that was not a TOTAL surprise, but yet not on the "List of Things To Do" for December that I've been keeping.

Cleaning. More cleaning. Eventually she and her soon-to-be-husband will have to come back here and gather up and move all her possessions between now and the first week of January.

After 12 to 14 hour days of cleaning and cooking, I'm a little tired and sore. But, I know if I keep going, I'll be in better shape for it. Right?

Oh, and yes. My dear Mom . . . is currently in a rehab facility 1500 miles away and I don't know the extent of her "situation." She can no longer walk under her own power, i.e., w/o a walker. Something happened, and no one apparently knows what, that's preventing her ability to do what she was doing on her own--including driving--just two-and-a-half weeks ago.

The hospital (ER) ran all kinds of tests, CAT scans, MRI's and whoknowswhatall two weeks ago, but came up with nothing more than "she's a little dehydrated." IV's, of course, take care of that. So what the heck happened? What's going to happen?

My siblings have been great, but they don't seem to have pinned a doctor down yet...(you know how so many doctors don't like being pinned down on things!!!)...to know what happened, is happening, will happen at this point. Or, maybe I've been so busy with all my chillin's I've lots touch?

Mom doesn't recognize my voice on the phone any more. Which really bumfuzzels me since we were talking on the phone every day for the last year--until her episode--two-and-a-half weeks ago when she didn't have a phone close by. She is getting therapy to strengthen her legs and arms. (She's pretty much been the queen of not exercising for quite some time, though many of her children have encouraged her to at least take a daily walk!) (Note to self: Get busy and get on the treadmill at least every day! I could be becoming the princess of not exercising. well, except for the fact that I do go up and down stairs every day--several times a day, still haul heavy loads of stuff from the grocery store--okay. My buggy to the trunk of my car. From the trunk of my car to the house, i.e., up stairs, and other stuff!) And, it's very hard to be 1500 miles away when one's mother is having distress and one can't be there to see, ask questions, assist. Exceptionally frustrating. For me. Anyway.

So, apparently, life is still happening here and everywhere. Challenges are what it's all about. That and the joy of having family to deal with! (My grandchildren were precious, of course. And very, loud and noisy. Oh! I did have to encourage them to "shhhhhhh" every so often.) Wouldn't have missed them for the world!

Oh. Don't let me forget: I'm thankful for the ability to experience all of the above! Don't want boring. Don't want to be without family. Grateful for the air I breathe, etc. =-}